Random Vanishing

Now that you've identified a hoarder in your household, you need to treat them in a sensitive and respectful way. I'd recommened an approach called "random vanishing". The idea is that over time, one or two items might somehow find their way into the bin while nobody is looking. A couple of months later, perhaps a few more items have disappeared and after a few years, that old tatty pile of magazines is only a third of its original height. This also applies to electronic junk. For example if you have a PVR that gradually accumulates more and more unwatched tv programs and movies, it's only natural that perhaps once every few months, a two hour documentary on the misery of war vanishes without a trace.

Should your hoarder be especially vigilant, a more complicated approach is needed. More to follow...